Solar lights for school children in Liberia

Summary

Liberia, one of the poorest countries in the world, has almost no electric grid or other source of affordable and safe energy. After the sun goes down Liberia's children have no electric lights to study by. Through its Lights for Learning project LEN is bringing portable solar lamps to the children of Liberia that will enable them to study at night using a clean, renewable energy source, with enormous benefits to both the education of the children and the health of the entire family.

Challenge

After 14 years of civil war Liberia's infrastructure and electric grid have been decimated. Without electricity, Liberian children resort to candles, toxic kerosene lamps, or wood fires for light to study by. Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranked by the UN 162nd out of 169 countries in per capita income, and has little prospect for advancement unless its children can obtain rudimentary studying conditions and receive a decent education.

Solution

Small portable solar lamps can provide clean, bright lights for studying, but few solar lights have existed in Liberia until now. Two Fellows at Harvard's Advanced Leadership Initiative conceived and created LEN to bring solar lamps to the students of Liberia. Children will be able to read and study at night using this renewable energy source which will enhance their ability to learn and progress in school. And they will no longer have to breathe in the toxic fumes emitted by kerosene lanterns.

Long-Term Impact

Lights for Learning will provide solar lamps to 600 children and about 3,000 household members, with follow-up projects planned to expand the program to larger parts of the population. In addition to advancing children's education, there will be a major improvement in the health of families by replacing toxic emissions with clean, renewable solar-powered lamps. LEN's goal is to make Liberia the first country in the world whose light is provided predominately by clean, renewable solar power.

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